On September 8, the community learned of a deadly domestic violence incident that left both the victim and abuser dead after an initial appearance decision exposed the victim to peril. In response to the tragedy, County Attorney Conover held a press conference with the media to discuss the importance of knowing the signs of abuse. 

” A defendant that our office was prosecuting for two felony cases regarding domestic violence strangulation is now reported to have killed the same victim and then killed himself. This is a reminder of how very dangerous and complex domestic violence cases can be,” Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said following the incident.  “In this case, we argued and secured a bond to keep him in jail, but the defendant returned to court asking for a second chance to be released. We strenuously objected due to our grave concerns that the defendant’s violence was escalating.”

However, the decision was made to release the defendant in what the state regards as a misdemeanor offense, allowing the abuser to end both of their lives.
When the current administration arrived at PCAO, we changed the Initial Appearance Recommendation form to include a critical warning from the National Institute of Health to emphasize the potential for loss of life in the aftermath of strangulation events between domestic partners.

“This case involves intimate partner strangulation. There is a high lethality associated with Domestic Violence Strangulation,” Conover said.  “Forty-three percent of all women who are murdered have been previously strangled by their partner. When a person has been strangled by their partner, there is an 800% increase in the likelihood of that person being murdered.”

County Attorney Conover has vowed to work with Arizona lawmakers to change domestic violence strangulation incidents from misdemeanor to felony cases to ensure that victims are protected from their abusers.